Adornment Assembly Linked by Clasp Members

ABSTRACT

An adornment assembly linked by clasp members is described. The present invention comprises a plurality of basal bodies, each comprising a hook on one end and an extending member. The present invention has a simple structure, allowing easy and convenient assembly and disassembly of basal bodies without use of an additional device such as a specially designed tool or instrument as required for existing products. At the same time, the present invention allows a secure assembly until a user rotates a basal body to dissemble. Therefore, the present invention satisfies customers&#39; desires for versatile designs and for following rapidly changing jewelry trends.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to ChinesePatent Application no. 200620067570.3, filed Nov. 13, 2006, the entirecontents of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

Aspects of the present invention relate to adornments and moreparticularly to an adornment assembly linked by clasp members.

2. Background

There exist adornments with various patterns and colors. As fashiontrends change, adornments change rapidly in order to satisfy customers'demands. Furthermore, customers have varying tastes and their tastesfrequently change. As a result, adornment designers and manufacturesneed to launch new products more rapidly to satisfy the customers'rapidly changing demands. Thus, a need exists for adornments that areversatile and thus novel at all times to satisfy customers, designersand manufacturers.

Components of traditional adornments are connected with each other by anextraneous device such as a specially designed tool or instrument usedto facilitate the connection, which makes the assembly of the adornmentsinconvenient to users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an adornment assembly linked byclasp members, which is simple in structure, and conveniently assembledand disassembled without using an additional tool as required inexisting products. Therefore, the present invention satisfies customers'desires for versatile designs and for following rapidly changing jewelrytrends.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an adornmentassembly linked by clasp members comprises a plurality of basal bodieslinked with each other. Each basal body further comprises: 1) aninverse-trapezoidal vertical section; 2) a first inclined surface of thebasal body which extends to form a cambered hook having an open endextending towards the first inclined surface; and 3) a second inclinedsurface of the basal body wherein the second inclined surface isprovided with a horizontal extending member, which can have insertedinto it the hook of a next basal body and includes a hole/aperturethereon for the open end of the hook of the next basal body to beinserted. This connection between the hook of a basal body and a hole oraperture of another basal body serves as the clasp member, whichprovides for the basal bodies to be held together.

In assembling basal bodies, the extending member with a hole of a firstbasal body is penetrated by the hook of a second basal body thus causingits first inclined surface to touch the bottom of the first basal body.The inserted second basal body is rotated to cause its hook to rotatealong the wall of the hole of the first basal body, thereby resulting inthe linkage of the two basal bodies. Since the hook is cambered, and itsopen end extends towards the first inclined surface, the hook remainssecurely locked. The basal bodies can be easily and conveniently linkedwithout any additional tool. The basal bodies can each contain anunlimited amount of different adornment or designs. Thus the adornmentassembly of the present invention is versatile so as to satisfy thedemands of customers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the extendingmember of a basal body includes a concave portion on the upper wallsurrounding the hole located at the extending member. The concaveportion helps the open end of the hook of another basal member to enterinto the hole along the concave portion. Combined with the concaveportion, the extending member may be thicker in order to further securethe connection between the basal bodies.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a terminus end ofthe open end of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface ofthe basal body, which makes for more precise alignment with the hole inthe second basal body, thus enabling easier and more convenientinsertion into the extending member of another basal body, whiledecreasing the gap between the terminus end of the hook and the firstinclined surface to ensure a secure connection.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a differentadorning layer is arranged on each basal body, thus allowing variousdesign patterns on the adornment assemblies to be combined to satisfythe demand of customers.

An object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide for asimple structure, allowing for easy and convenient assembly anddisassembly without any additional tool. The components of the adornmentassembly remains securely locked until a user rotates a basal body todisassemble. Upon rotating a basal body to a particular angle, thecomponents of the adornment assembly can easily be disassembled. Theadornment assembly in accordance with the present invention isreconfigurable to an unlimited combination of designs.

These and other embodiments of the present invention are further madeapparent, in the remainder of the present document, to those of ordinaryskill in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more fully describe embodiments of the present invention,reference is made to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are notto be considered limitations in the scope of the invention, but aremerely illustrative.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operational concept ofan assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Inparticular, FIG. 1 illustrates an initial connection.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operational concept asshown in FIG. 1 and illustrates the connection completed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a basal body according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a top view of a basal body according to a secondembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an operational concept ofan assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention.In particular, FIG. 5 illustrates an initial connection.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the operational concept asshown in FIG. 5 and illustrates the connection completed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

The description above and below and the drawings of the present documentfocus on one or more currently preferred embodiments of the presentinvention and describe some exemplary optional features and/oralternative embodiments. The description and drawings are for thepurpose of illustration and not limitations. Those of ordinary skill inthe art would recognize variations, modifications, and alternatives.Such variations, modifications, and alternatives are also within thescope of the present invention.

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 illustrate the first embodiment of the presentinvention, comprising two basal bodies 1 and 2 having aninversed-trapezoidal vertical section. More numbers of basal bodies canbe linked as desired. For example, more basal bodies linked linearly mayform a bracelet and/or a necklace.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, two basal bodies 1 and2, are shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation. A firstinclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a camberedhook 3 on a first end of the basal body 1. The hook 3 has an open end 5extending towards the inclined surface 11. The hook 3 naturally has anopen section beginning from the open end 5 wherein the hook 3 can latchthrough. A second inclined surface 12 of the first basal body 1 extendsto form a horizontal extending member 15 at a second end of the basalbody 1, which can be penetrated by a hook 4 of a second basal body 2, ofwhich structure can be identical to the first basal body 1. Into a holeor opening 7 of the first basal body 1, the hook 4 of the second basalbody 2 is capable of crossing at the open end 6 of the second basal body2. Like the first basal body 1, a first inclined surface 13 of thesecond basal body 2 extends to form a cambered hook 4, which has an openend 6 extending towards the inclined surface 13. A second inclinedsurface 14 of the second basal body 2 extends to form a horizontalextending member 16, and a hole or opening 8 is provided before reachingthe horizontal extending member 16. An adorning layer 9 of the firstbasal body 1 and adorning layer 10 of the second basal body 2 arerespectively arranged. An end/terminus surface on the open end 5 of thehook 3 is parallel to the inclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1.Likewise, an end surface on the open end 6 of the hook 4 is parallel tothe inclined surface 13 of the second basal body 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, in assembling, the first basal body 1 and secondbasal body 2 are rotated to insert the hook 4 into the extending member15 of the first basal body 1, thus causing the inclined surface 13 totouch the bottom surface of the extending member 15. The inclinedsurface 12 of the first basal body 1 touches the bottom of the secondbasal body 2. The second basal body 2 is then rotated, causing the openend 6 of the hook 4 to be inserted into the hole 7, until the firstbasal body 1 and the second basal body 2 belong to approximately thesame planar surface. As a result, the first basal body 1 is linked withthe second basal body 2. The cambered hook 4 and its open end 6extending towards the first inclined surface 13 minimizes the gapbetween the terminus end of the open end 6 and the first inclinedsurface 13 so that the extending member 15 remains securely lockedinside the hook 4. For the same reason, without being rotated, the hook4 will not be detached from the hole 7.

Additionally, the basal bodies can be easily and conveniently linkedwith each other without any additional tool. The adorning layer 9 and/or10 on each basal body can be of distinct designs, thus the combinedadornment assembly can be varied to satisfy the customers' demand.

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 illustrate a second embodiment of the presentinvention comprising basal bodies 1 and 2 having an inversed-trapezoidalvertical section. More numbers of basal bodies can be linked as desired.For example, more basal bodies linked linearly may form a braceletand/or a necklace.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, two basal bodies 1 and2, are shown for purposes of illustration and not limitation. A firstinclined surface 11 of the first basal body 1 extends to form a camberedhook 3. The hook 3 has an open end 5 extending towards the inclinedsurface 11. A second inclined surface 12 of the first basal body 1extends to form a horizontal extending member 15, which can bepenetrated by a hook 4 of a second basal body 2, of which structure isidentical to the first basal body 1. Into a hole 7 of the first basalbody 1, the hook 4 of the second basal body 2 is capable of crossing atthe open end 6 of the second basal body 2. According to the secondembodiment, the extending member 15 further includes a concave portion17 on the upper wall surrounding the hole 7. The open end 6 of the hook4 of the second basal body 2 is inserted into the hole 7. A secondinclined surface 14 of the second basal body 2 extends to form ahorizontal extending member 16 comprising a hole 8 and a concave portion18 on the upper wall around the hole 8. The operating concept of thesecond embodiment is similar to that of the first embodiment.

Throughout the description and drawings, example embodiments are givenwith reference to specific configurations. It will be appreciated bythose of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention can beembodied in other specific forms. Those of ordinary skill in the artwould be able to practice such other embodiments without undueexperimentation. The scope of the present invention, for the purpose ofthe present patent document, is not limited merely to the specificexample embodiments of the foregoing description, but rather isindicated by the appended claims. All changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalents within the claims are intended to beconsidered as being embraced within the spirit and scope of the claims.

1. An adornment assembly comprising a plurality of basal bodies forlinking with each other, each basal body having a first end and a secondend, each basal body comprising: a first inclined surface of the basalbody extending to form a cambered hook at the first end wherein at anopen section of the hook, a terminus of the hook faces the firstinclined surface; a second inclined surface, on an opposite side of thebasal body, extending to form a horizontal extending member at thesecond end, and having an aperture in the extending member forengagement with the open section of the hook of another basal body. 2.The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein a wall forming theaperture at the second end comprises a concave portion on an upper partof the wall surrounding the aperture.
 3. The adornment assemblyaccording to claim 1, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook isparallel to the first inclined surface of the basal body.
 4. Theadornment assembly according to claim 2, wherein a surface of theterminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclined surface of thebasal body.
 5. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein thebasal body further comprises an adorning layer thereon.
 6. The adornmentassembly according to claim 2, wherein the basal body further comprisesan adorning layer thereon.
 7. The adornment assembly according to claim3, wherein the basal body further comprises an adorning layer thereon.8. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, wherein a width of thehook of a basal body is slightly smaller than a width of the aperture.9. The adornment assembly according to claim 1, comprising at least afirst basal body and second basal body, wherein the distance of the opensection of the hook on the second basal body, between the terminus andthe first inclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of thehook with an aperture of the first basal body requires that the firstinclined surface of the second basal body be positioned to touch abottom surface of the extending member of the first basal body to allowthe hook to be inserted into the aperture.
 10. The adornment assemblyaccording to claim 1, comprising at least a first basal body and secondbasal body, wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on thesecond basal body, between the terminus and the first inclined surface,is minimized such that engagement of the hook with an aperture of thefirst basal body requires that the first inclined surface of the secondbasal body be positioned parallel to a bottom surface of the extendingmember of the first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into theaperture.
 11. An adornment assembly comprising a plurality of basalbodies for linking with each other, each basal body having a first endand a second end, each basal body comprising: a first inclined surfaceof the basal body extending to form a cambered hook at the first endwherein at an open point of the hook, a terminus of the hook faces thefirst inclined surface; a second inclined surface, on an opposite sideof the basal body, extending to form a horizontal extending member atthe second end, and having an aperture in the extending member forengagement with the open point of the hook of another basal body; and anadorning piece connected to a top surface of at least one basal body.11. An adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein the adorningpiece extends along the top surface of the at least one basal body andabove the first end and second ends to cover the engagement a hook withan aperture on the basal body.
 12. The adornment assembly according toclaim 11, wherein a wall forming the aperture at the second endcomprises a concave portion on an upper part of the wall surrounding theaperture.
 13. The adornment assembly according to claim 11, wherein asurface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to the first inclinedsurface of the basal body.
 14. The adornment assembly according to claim12, wherein a surface of the terminus of the hook is parallel to thefirst inclined surface of the basal body.
 15. The adornment assemblyaccording to claim 11, wherein a width of the hook of a basal body isslightly smaller than a width of the aperture.
 16. The adornmentassembly according to claim 11, comprising at least a first basal bodyand second basal body, wherein the distance of the open section of thehook on the second basal body, between the terminus and the firstinclined surface, is minimized such that engagement of the hook with anaperture of the first basal body requires that the first inclinedsurface of the second basal body be positioned to touch a bottom surfaceof the extending member of the first basal body to allow the hook to beinserted into the aperture.
 17. The adornment assembly according toclaim 11, comprising at least a first basal body and second basal body,wherein the distance of the open section of the hook on the second basalbody, between the terminus and the first inclined surface, is minimizedsuch that engagement of the hook with an aperture of the first basalbody requires that the first inclined surface of the second basal bodybe positioned parallel to a bottom surface of the extending member ofthe first basal body to allow the hook to be inserted into the aperture.